The 2024-25 Big 12 Athlete of the Year nominees will be featured in alphabetical order by school starting Monday, July 14, through Wednesday, July 23, at 11 a.m. CT and 2 p.m. CT.

Each institution nominated one male and one female athlete of any classification who competed for their institution during the 2024-25 school year. Student-athletes were required to be in good academic standing and must have participated in a league-sponsored sport.

The 16 full-membership schools that competed during the 2024-25 academic year are eligible.

The winners will be announced Thursday, July 24. Stay tuned to Big12Sports.com and the league’s social media platforms to see the rest of the candidates.

This afternoon’s featured candidates are Houston’s J’Wan Roberts and KeAyla Dove.   

 

Houston Male Athlete of the Year Candidate

J’Wan Roberts, Basketball

Sr., St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands   

Accomplishments

• Named to the 2025 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team after helping lead Houston to the national championship game. Finished his career as the winningest player in program history (150-23).
• Earned All-Big 12 First Team and All-Defensive Team honors for the 2024-25 season.
• One of only four Cougars to record at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. Set program records for games played (173), overall wins (150) and wins at the Fertitta Center (77).
• Earned a bachelor’s degree in Health Promotions and pursued post-baccalaureate studies in Human Developmental Family Sciences.

Houston Female Athlete of the Year Candidate
KeAyla Dove, Track and Field
Gr., Houston, Texas

• 2025 Big 12 Indoor and Outdoor Shot Put Champion. Holds the Houston program records for Shot Put indoors (19.46m – third best mark in NCAA indoor history) and outdoors (18.14m).
• Finished third in Shot Put at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.  
• Earned 2025 USTFCCCA First Team All-America honors for the indoor season.  
• Holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts & Sciences degree.

2024-25 Big 12 Athletes of the Year Nominees
Arizona – Colton Smith and Devyn Netz
Arizona State – Cam Skattebo and Kenzie Brown
Baylor – Nathaniel Ezekiel and Alexis Brown
BYU – James Corrigan and Lexy Halladay-Lowry
UCF – RJ Harvey and Hannah Lovejoy
Cincinnati – Kerrington Cross and Joleigh Crye
Colorado – Travis Hunter and Jordan Nytes
Houston – J’Wan Roberts and KeAyla Dove

A relatively-new program (seven years old) enters year three under coach Amber Adams, and last year was the best yet with a school-record 15 wins. Next step – to notch their first-ever playoff berth.

PRESEASON INFO

2024 Record: 15-19; No Playoffs
Head Coach: Amber Adams (3rd Season)
Returning Starters: 8
Key Departures: Takiyah Merriett
Key Players: Avery Burton, Kallie Thrift, Sydney Carson, Callie Frady, Mia Altreche, Enslee Stowers
“We have several front row players returning who hopefully will make big impacts this year,” says coach Amber Adams.
Strengths: Front Row and Experience
“We only lost two seniors and have replaced one of those with an upcoming senior,” adds Adams. “Our strength is our tall front row. All six front row players can get kills. We have a lot of blocks or touches that help us set up our offense.”

“The expectation is to lead our program to its first state playoff berth,” adds Adams.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Forty-seven Atlantic Coast Conference student-athletes were named College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-Americans following the conclusion of the 2024-25 spring season. ACC student-athletes totaled 85 Academic All-America honors for the 2024-25 academic year.
 
Thirteen ACC schools had at least one honoree, with the conference having 11 student-athletes recognized in men’s track and field/cross country, nine in women’s tennis, seven in women’s track and field/cross country, seven on the women’s at-large team, five in softball, four in baseball, three in men’s tennis and one on the men’s at-large team.
 
North Carolina’s Reese Brantmeier was named the Women’s Tennis Academic All-America Team Member of the Year and was one of the nine ACC student-athletes on the women’s tennis Academic All-America Team. Duke’s Simen Guttormsen was tabbed the Men’s Track and Field/Cross Country Academic All-America Team Member of the Year, as 11 ACC student-athletes earned Academic All-America honors.
 
In women’s tennis, Stanford’s Connie Ma repeated as a First-Team Academic All-America honoree, while Miami’s Alexa Noel earned second-team honors for the second year in a row.
 
Roisin Willis of Stanford women’s track and field/cross country repeated as a First-Team Academic All-American, while teammate Zofia Dudek earned second-team honors and captured her third straight Academic All-America award.
 
Stanford’s Garrett Brown repeated as a Second-Team Academic All-American in men’s track and field/cross country.
 
In the women’s at-large category, Louisville field hockey’s Aimee Plumb earned third-team recognition for the second time. In the men’s at-large category, Duke lacrosse’s Andrew McAdorey notched third-team honors to claim Academic All-America honors for the second year in a row.
 
Nominees must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically and have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale). A graduate student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) as both an undergraduate and a grad student unless they are in their first semester as a graduate student and don’t have an established graduate grade point average.
 

The men’s and women’s fencing, gymnastics and wrestling teams are part of the at-large team, which is decided at the end of the academic year in July. The men’s and women’s indoor track & field teams are announced along with cross country and outdoor track & field following the conclusion of the spring season.
 
ACC 2024-25 CSC Academic All-Americans (Spring/At Large)
Baseball
Alex Birge, California (Second Team)
Lucas Mahlstedt, Clemson (Second Team)
Eddie King Jr., Louisville (Second Team)
Zion Rose, Louisville (Second Team)
 
Softball
Kennedy Harp, Florida State (Second Team)
Isa Torres, Florida State (Second Team)
Jade Hylton, Virginia (Second Team)
Reese Basinger, Clemson (Third Team)
KK Mathis, Duke (Third Team)
 
Men’s Tennis
Samir Banerjee, Stanford (Second Team)
Max Basing, Stanford (Second Team)
DK Suresh Ekambaram, Wake Forest (Third Team)
 
Women’s Tennis
Reese Brantmeier, North Carolina (First Team)*
Carson Tanguilig, North Carolina (First Team)
Connie Ma, Stanford (First Team)
Elaine Chervinsky, Virginia (First Team)
Jessica Alsola, California (Second Team)
Ellie Coleman, Duke (Second Team)
Alexa Noel, Miami (Second Team)
Melodie Collard, Virginia (Second Team)
Annabelle Xu, Virginia (Third Team)
 
Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country
First Team
Simen Guttormsen, Duke (First Team)*
Colton Sands, North Carolina (First Team)
Will Daley, Virginia (First Team)
Gary Martin, Virginia (First Team)
Benjamin Conacher, Virginia Tech (First Team)
Johnny Goode, California (Second Team)
Garrett Brown, Stanford (Second Team)
Devoux Deysel, Miami (Third Team)
Leo Young, Stanford (Third Team)
Lex Young, Stanford (Third Team)
Alex Sherman, Virginia (Third Team)
 
Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country
Roisin Willis, Stanford (First Team)
Caisa-Marie Lindfors, California (Second Team)
Megan McGinnis, Duke (Second Team)
Makayla Paige, North Carolina (Second Team)
Zofia Dudek, Stanford (Second Team)
Lindsey Butler, Virginia Tech (Second Team)
Audrey Jacobs, California (Third Team)
 
Men’s At-Large
Andrew McAdorey, Duke, Lacrosse (Third Team)
 
Women’s At-Large
Arianna Cao, Stanford, Fencing (First Team)
Lottie Woad, Florida State, Golf (First Team)
Luise Bachmann, Stanford, Rowing (Second Team)
Ashely Humphrey, North Carolina, Lacrosse (Second Team)
Chloe Negrete, NC State, Gymnastics (Second Team)
Rachel Clark, Boston College, Lacrosse (Third Team)
Aimee Plumb, Louisville, Field Hockey (Third Team)
 
* Named College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team Member of the Year

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – During the summer months, Kutztown athletics takes a break from competition. So, what do Golden Bear student-athletes like to do in their down time? Over the next month, we will be catching up with some KU Golden Bears.
 
Emma Stalsitz (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) – Women’s Volleyball – Senior
 
What is your favorite thing about summer?
– My favorite thing about summer is getting to spend time with my family, friends, and 2 dogs (Ella and Misty).
 
What is your favorite thing to do during the summer?
– My favorite thing to do during the summer is work at a summer camp for 6-12 year olds and Camp Abilities (adapted sports for the blind).
 
Favorite vacation spot you’ve been to? One place you haven’t been to yet, but would like to?
– My favorite vacation spot is anywhere a cruise ship takes me! My dream vacation is a cruise to either France or Greece.
 
What have you been up to/current plans this summer from a sport perspective?
– I’ve been strength training, conditioning, and playing in a few doubles/quads leagues in my area! I’ve also been coaching a lot for a local club which allows me to grow my IQ of the game and give back to younger players!
 
What’s a song you can jam out to that makes you feel like it’s summer?
– A song that makes me feel like summer is Club Can’t Handle Me by Flo Rida.
 
What do you miss about KU during the summer months?
– During the summer months, I miss Starbucks every day with teammates/friends or while doing homework!
 
Favorite place to be on campus when it’s a nice, sunny and warm day?
– When it’s a warm day, my favorite place on campus is sitting outside on the DMZ or at the tables at Starbucks.
 
Favorite summer dessert/treat?
– My favorite summer dessert/treat is Cloud-9! It’s made with Cool Whip, cream cheese, mandarin oranges, cherries, and crushed pineapple.
 
Favorite way to keep cool during the summer?
– My favorite way to keep cool is swim in the pool or in the ocean.
 
Any summer traditions you do with friends/family that you enjoy?
– My family and I go to Knoebels and are always hanging out at our firepit.
 
What do you look forward to most about returning to KU in August?
– I’m looking forward to seeing all of my friends, welcome all of my incoming teammates, and compete in the PSAC!

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